Highlights from the World Nomad Games: Horseback Wrestling to Sheep Bone Tossing

The 5th World Nomad Games, held in Astana, Kazakhstan, Sept. 8-14, brought together athletes from 91 countries to compete in 21 traditional nomadic sports. A total of 21 different sports are on display across the city including various types of archery, wrestling and falconry. There's a certain medieval aspect to the event, as many of the disciplines no doubt have links to a past when military prowess and parades of strength and capability were regular entertainment. Here's some of the more spectacular events. Kokpar In summary, it’s kind of like rugby on horseback with a sheep carcass as a ball. A popular sport in Central Asia, Kokpar and Kok Boru are fairly similar, with just a few differences, the key one being the form of the “goal”. (Kokpar has a ring on the ground, Kok Boru has something resembling a large hot tub.) In Kokpar, each team has 12 players with only four on the pitch at one time. Only men are allowed to participate. The “ball”traditionally is a sheep or goat’s carcass, soaked in liquid and stuffed for added weight, but in modern times been replaced with a rubber dummy. The faux-carcass can weigh up to 30kg. At the start of each play, riders line up at the back of the field and the carcass is placed in the central circle. Four people from each team race forwards to try and pick up the carcass and gallop to drop it in the goal circle at each end. After each goal, the game resets back to the centre. Horseback archery This one is fairly self-explanatory and a fun one to watch as competitors must master speed, balance and skill. Riders race up a 100m course while shooting at a target located half way along the track. Points are given for speed and the number of direct hits. The faster you ride, the higher the difficult rating. Much like in the modern pentathlon, a horse is provided by organisers meaning for sportsmen, and women, it’s somewhat luck of the draw if you get a speedy and amenable stead. Horseback wrestling While horseback wrestling is certainly interesting (and slightly surreal) to watch for anyone, without an explanation it’s difficult to understand how the scoring works. Two powerfully muscular men, topless on horseback and with a blue or red belt around their waist grapple with each other inside an 15m circle until a victory is declared. Clear victory is awarded to whoever can pull their opponent off their saddle, or even better if they fall to the ground. Otherwise, the match can be won by earning a six point lead over your opponent through a variety of moves including pushing them outside of the circle and lifting their leg above the saddle. This sport is also exclusively for men. The nomad games isn’t all about horses and brute strength, there are also intellectual sports… also known as board games. But of course there’s a twist. Asyk Atu (pronounced Assuck At-oo) looks like something really fun you’d play in a playground and perhaps the most obtainable for many of us to attempt. Fifteen “ asyks ” - traditionally sheep knuckle bones - are lined up in the center of the specially coated flooring. Players take it in turns to toss “throwing asyks” at the line in attempt to knock them out of play before running to the other side of the play area to take their next turn. The winner is the first player to knock eight asyks out of play